grateful dead for noobs
Nov 3, 2005 at 4:03 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 20
M

mjg

Headphoneus Supremus
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Recommend me some dead albums... i'm taking an interest in them, so far i got in the dark, and live dead.


Liking them both, what's next album to get?
 
Nov 3, 2005 at 4:34 AM Post #4 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion
Forget the albums and start downloading from internet archive . You should also check out the various Dick's Picks offerings.



ok,

can u mention a few really good ones, theres a zillion to look at... what's the best era of these internt archives? : ]

Thanks!

i got a few dicks picks on the way... cant comment on dvda sorry.
 
Nov 3, 2005 at 4:43 AM Post #6 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion
Forget the albums and start downloading from internet archive . You should also check out the various Dick's Picks offerings.


yes, tyrion, you are right. The deal with the Dead was not the tracks they laid down in the studio (with notable exceptions), but the magic they created on stage, night after night, year after year. A mythical combination of bluegrass, psychedelic rock, epxerimental music, jazz fusion, country, folk, garage band, ad]nd the blues. No song ever sounded the same twice. Jams were organic and cosmic. That's not to say they didn't have some off nights, but those were reare in the early years.

However, sometimes new deadheads have to break in a little more slowly.

mjg, I say follow these steps:

1) Workingman's Dead/American Beauty combo -- not just 'cause they're great Dead albums, but because they're great anybody albums. Plus, the remasters have good bonus material
2) agree with Live Dead to get a snapshot of an early '69 show (in great quality)
3) Europe '72
4) Bear's Choice -- to hear a 1970 show
5) Then start surveying Dicks Picks and the Vault series, or just start downloading/streaming similar show from the internet archive.
 
Nov 3, 2005 at 4:55 AM Post #8 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by mjg
ok,

can u mention a few really good ones, theres a zillion to look at... what's the best era of these internt archives? : ]



That's very subjective, and deadheads are very opinionated about their choices.

Roughly speaking, shows from 66-67 were garage band meets early San Fransicso psychedelic sounds. Still had one drummer. alot of quick short tunes, and a couple of monster fast-paced jams.


My main interest is in the classic period of 1968-74

1968-- second drummer is a fixture. New original material comes into play. Jams get longer and spacier.

1969 -- much more original songs written -- many folk-rock classics from WD/AB. Dark Star takes off as a cosmic jam. almost no bad shows from this year

1970 -- solid year all around. 2/13 and 2/14/70 are classic shows, as are 5/2/70 and several others.

1971 -- transtional year. One drummer leaves in disgrace. PigPengets very sick, keyboardist is added.

1972 -- a magical year. jams take on a jazzy/fluid feeling with one drummer. almost all the shows from the tour of Europe in the spring exist in good soundboard quality. Pigpen gets too sick to perform anymore after Europe. 8/27/72 is an infamous monster show. The fall tour is amazing, Many dicks Picks are represented here. Playin' in the Band takes off as a major space-jazz jam.

1973-74 -- continues in the same direction as 1972. Seoncd drummer returns at the end of the year. Band plans to retire (and only performs a handful of times in 1975).
 
Nov 3, 2005 at 4:55 AM Post #9 of 20
Not sure what the 'download series' is exactly. Looks like the free stuff from bt.eastry.org and internet archive but specially mastered and sold. Available in lossless so that is a plus.

Anyways musictap.net has a review .
 
Nov 3, 2005 at 5:00 AM Post #10 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by omedon
Not sure what the 'download series' is exactly. Looks like the free stuff from bt.eastry.org and internet archive but specially mastered and sold. Available in lossless so that is a plus.

Anyways musictap.net has a review .


I'm pretty sure that once things appear in the "Downlad Series" on the offical gd store website, they can no longer be downloaded for free from the internet archive (same for Dicks Picks shows), and, in some cases, those shows weren't otherwise available before. Deadheads are very fair about letting the gd organization make some profits form "official" bootlegs.
 
Nov 3, 2005 at 2:27 PM Post #12 of 20
Let me add to all the excellent suggestions made so far.

For commercially available albums:
- Ladies and Gentlemen... The Grateful Dead (Fillmore East, April of '71)

For Dick's Picks :
- #4 (it's really hard to pick, I've got them all)

For Live Music Archive - why not start with some of the most "popular" ones:
- Most Popular LMA Shows
- I'd probably start with 77-05-08


For Later....

After you've absorbed a lot of this stuff (and that might take a long time), you might want to think about picking up the two daddy box sets. If you decide you really like the GD, it's a great way to save some $$ over buying them one at a time.
- Golden Road (1965-1973)
- Beyond Description (1973-1989)
 
Nov 3, 2005 at 3:06 PM Post #13 of 20
While not a devoted listener to them, Dead Set has always been one of my go-to discs with some of my favorite all time recorded songs.


Friend of the Devil,
Candyman, and
Loser

are three of them.
 
Nov 3, 2005 at 3:33 PM Post #14 of 20
Quote:

Originally Posted by mjg
ok,

can u mention a few really good ones, theres a zillion to look at... what's the best era of these internt archives? : ]



When i get some time I'll list my favorite shows....
 
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